Giant armadillo: description of the animal, habitat. Amazing animals. Giant armadillo Favorite habitats of giant armadillos

Family Armadillos- Familia Dasypodidae
Genus giant armadillos- genus priodontes
- Priodontes giganteus Geoffroy, 1803 (= P. maximus) (VI, 183)

There is one species in the genus of giant armadillos: the giant armadillo P. giganteus, which is included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade.

Why is it listed in the Red Book?

The giant armadillo may soon be endangered. The number is declining as a result of hunting and changes in the habitat of animals by humans. In Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Paraguay they are protected by law.

In Brazil, according to 1981 data, it may soon be endangered.

In Suriname in 1982 there was no danger of destruction. In Peru in 1981 their numbers were very low and continued to decline. In Colombia by 1980 and in Paraguay by 1981 they were rare.

In Argentina by 1981 they were endangered. In Venezuela in 1981 they were quite common in places. In Bolivia and Guyana in 1981 they were not rare.

How to find out

The sizes are the largest in the family. Body length up to 100 cm. Tail length about 50 cm. Weight up to 55 kg. The head is oval. The ears are wide. The limbs are five-fingered. The dorsal shell has 11-13 movable belts.

Body hair is sparse. The body color is dark brown, excluding the whitish head, tail and stripe along the lower edge of the dorsal shield. Each half of the jaws has 15-28 small teeth that fall out with age.

Where does it live?

Distributed across much of eastern South America from southeastern Venezuela, southern Colombia, the Amazon in Peru, Guyana through Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay to northeastern Argentina.

Lifestyle and biology

They inhabit dense forests and savannas. Usually found near water. They stay alone. Active at night. They feed on ants, termites, other insects and their larvae, worms, spiders, snakes and carrion. There are 1-2 cubs in a litter. The number is unknown.

There are amazing animals on our planet, whose body structure and appearance are very different from other animals. Some of these are armadillos ( Dasypodidae) - animals that are dressed in armor. They inhabited the Earth in the prehistoric past, many millions of years ago, when dinosaurs existed on the planet. Perhaps these animals have survived to this day only thanks to their impenetrable armor?

photo: flickr.com/photos/dfc_pcola/

Who is an armadillo?

Armadillo in Spanish means one who wears armor. In these bizarre animals, the entire back, head, tail and even paws are covered with a shell. At birth, the armadillo's "knightly robe" is soft, but it quickly hardens. Despite its armor, the beast is easy to move because its shell is movable and consists of many bone plates that are connected to each other by strong elastic tissue. Its back is smoothly rounded and its legs are short and powerful, with strong claws on its toes. The belly is soft and bare. Most species have little or no hair, but one mountain species has dense hair covering its armor.

photo: flickr.com/photos/sickilla/

Armadillos are inhabitants of the jungles and steppes of South and Central America. Today there are 21 types, placed in 8 genera (the 21st armadillo species, recognized as Dasypus yepesi, was only described in 1995). They usually live in open areas such as savannas and pampas, but they are also found in forests. Armadillos travel alone, in pairs, or sometimes in small groups and can be diurnal or nocturnal.

photo: flickr.com/photos/jyrkihokkanen/ Giant armadillo

Some of them are small, no bigger than a mouse, and some are gigantic. The length of the head and body among armadillo species ranges from 125 to 1000 mm, and the length of the tail from 25 to 500 mm. Giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) can weigh up to 60 kg, while the little-known (Chlamyphorus truncatus), which is completely adapted to an underground lifestyle, weighs only about 100 g.

P frilled armadillo

Why does an armadillo need armor?

Many animals are armed with hard claws, sharp fangs, tusks or strong horns. They use such a combat arsenal both for attack and defense against enemies. The battleship does not need such a “weapon”; its strength lies in the invulnerability of its shell. The beast, sensing danger, instantly disappears from the enemy's sight. Right under the nose of the predator, in a matter of seconds the animal, quickly working with its front paws, buries itself in the ground. There is another trick to the armadillo: it curls up into a ball, like a hedgehog. Not a single predator is able to bite through it or turn it around. Thanks to this protection, the battleship looks like an armored tank.

What kind of housing does he have?

Using their armored head like a shovel, armadillos dig burrows near streams or on river banks. Sometimes their house has an entrance so large that even a person can fit in. The armored beast lines its hole with dry leaves and grass, which it often replaces with new ones, keeping its home clean.

Armored record holder

No one on earth has such large claws as the giant armadillo. They are as long as a palm and almost the same width. Even a lion's claws are weaker! With its “strong weapon,” the armadillo breaks rock-hard termite mounds or scratches and digs up tree roots to get to its favorite delicacies—ants. He can easily tear up even an asphalt road with his claws! In addition, the giant armadillo from South America is the champion among mammals in the number of teeth. The animal has about a hundred of them.

photo: flickr.com/photos/krossoverpro/

How does an armadillo find food?

When going in search of food, an armored animal sniffs, bowing its head all the way to the ground, and, stopping at every step, digs up worms or ants. Thanks to its keen sense of smell, the armadillo senses insects hidden underground at a depth of 20 cm. It digs out its prey with strong long claws, raking the soil under itself with its muzzle. To avoid swallowing earth, the animal holds its breath for several minutes. The armadillo's tongue is long and sticky, with the help of which it captures food. Loves to feast on ants, termites, worms and other insects, and also eats mushrooms and tree roots. One armadillo eats about 90 kg of insects per year!

photo: flickr.com/photos/ /

Agile swimmer in armor

Despite its clumsiness and heaviness, the armadillo is a skilled swimmer who has its own special secrets. Having pumped air into the stomach and intestines, the animal easily stays on the surface of the reservoir and does not drown. In addition, he can run along the bottom of a lake or river, holding his breath for almost 6 minutes! The battleship will hide at the bottom of the river, wait until the enemy leaves and only then crawl out of the water. Or maybe just cross along the bottom from one bank to the other. And while the embarrassed predator understands where the prey went, the armadillo is gone. This is such an unusual animal in armor!

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Giant armadillo (lat. Priodontes maximus) managed to become a record holder in several areas at once. Not only is it considered the largest representative of the family, but it also has about a hundred teeth. And this, by the way, is the largest number among all known land mammals. In addition, its 20 cm claws are considered one of the largest in the world.

Giant armadillos are found in South America. Their range starts from the southern part of Venezuela, passes through the entire Amazonian lowland, reaching Paraguay and northern Argentina.

The body length of the giant armadillo reaches 75-100 cm, and its weight can exceed 30 kg. In captivity, there is a known case when the weight of an animal exceeded 60 kilos, but this, of course, is rather an exception to the rule. The body of the armadillo, including the half-meter tail, is covered with a very mobile shell, divided into numerous segments. On the back and sides there are thick horny shields connected to each other by very elastic fabric, which gives the armor mobility. The color of the shell is most often brown, and the belly is noticeably lighter.

The muzzle is tube-shaped, the teeth are directed back, the tongue is long and sticky. With its help, the giant armadillo hunts its favorite delicacy - termites. If such a delicacy finds a termite mound, the insects will have a hard time: the animal will completely destroy the nest and eat most of its inhabitants. Then, right at the place of the meal, he will dig a hole for himself and settle there.

True, not for long: the site of one giant armadillo occupies an area of ​​​​one to three kilometers square. Therefore, it’s only a matter of time before the beast goes in search of its next meal. It is interesting that even the decent height of their termite mound will not help the unfortunate termites - the animal knows how to stand on its hind legs, so it can easily reach its top. If there are no termite mounds nearby, the animal is quite content with ants, worms, spiders and carrion.

Giant armadillos are active at night and lead a solitary lifestyle. They meet with relatives only during the breeding season. Pregnancy lasts about four months and ends with the birth of one or two cubs. Caring for them falls on the shoulders of the mother, since the father does not take part in raising the offspring.

Lactation lasts 4-6 months and at six months the babies begin to live independently. They will become capable of procreation at the age of nine to twelve months. The lifespan of giant armadillos is 12-15 years. With such a decent size, they have very few enemies. Unless a puma or jaguar might try to attack an adult animal. The cubs are preyed upon by coyotes, dogs and other predators.

Well, the most trouble that comes to giant armadillos is people who exterminate them for meat that tastes like pork. These animals are considered agricultural pests as they occasionally raid fields. At the same time, they do not eat plants, but look for suitable prey, tearing up the ground and trampling down plantings. Unfortunately, there are not many giant armadillos left. The IUCN lists them as a vulnerable species.

• Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
• Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872 = Placentals, higher animals
• Order: Edentata Gray, 1798 = (American) edentates
• Family: Dasypodidae Bonaparte, 1838 = Armadillos
• Genus: Priodontes Cuvier F., 1825 = Giant armadillos
• Species: Priodontes giganteus = Giant armadillo

Genus: Priodontes Cuvier F., 1825 = Giant armadillos

The only species in the genus is the giant armadillo. The sizes are large, the largest in the family. The dorsal shell has 11-13 movable belts. The scutes on the tail are tightly adjacent to each other and do not form rows. Body hair is sparse. The body color is dark brown, except for the whitish head, tail and stripe along the lower edge of the dorsal shield. Each jaw usually has 15-28 small teeth that fall out with age.

Usually found near water. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Often it rests only on its hind legs and tail, without touching the ground with its front legs. It feeds on ants, termites, other insects and their larvae, worms, spiders, snakes and carrion. There are 1-2 cubs in a litter.

Species: Priodontes giganteus (maximus) Geoffroy, 1803 = Giant [gigantic] armadillo, giant armadillo (Photo by T.S.Carter)

Information about armadillos in literary and Internet publications is quite contradictory, but we present data from two more sources.

Information 1: Distributed in the eastern parts of South America, from Guiana to Central Argentina (Buenos Aires); inhabits forests, bushes, and less often open areas. It avoids populated areas, and if it appears near a person’s home, farmers try to destroy it, since the armadillo digs up fields in search of food. Its digging activity is very great, and one can often see edges, clearings or groves completely dug up by a giant armadillo to great depths. Standing on its hind legs and resting on its tail, it destroys all termite mounds on its way with its powerful sharp claws. His hole is dug with a hole so wide that a person can crawl into it. Body length is 90-100 cm, tail - 50 cm and body weight is about 50 kg (http://filin.vn.ua/mammels/dasypodidae.htm).

Information 2: The giant armadillo - Priodontes giganteus - is a squat, clumsy animal that lives in open spaces and forests in America from the southern United States to Chile and Argentina. see photo Body length from 12 cm to 1 m, not counting the tail, weight from 0.3 to 55 kg. From above and from the sides, the armadillo is covered with a thick carapace of horny scutes; the scutes are arranged by belts connected to each other by elastic connective tissue, which gives the carapace mobility. Armadillos have very large claws, which they use to dig up the ground and dig holes. They have from 28 to 40 teeth, the giant armadillo has up to 90, they are cylindrical in shape and without roots. They inhabit steppes, deserts, savannas and forest edges of South and Central America (in the north to Mexico). Armadillos lead a solitary nocturnal lifestyle, searching for small vertebrates, insects, their larvae, and mollusks, and during the day they hide in burrows. Females give birth to 2 to 4 cubs.

* Armadillos, or armadillos as they are called in Latin America, are also called “pocket dinosaurs.” This figurative expression is justified not only by their appearance, but also by the fact that armadillos are indeed very ancient animals. They appeared on Earth about 55 million years ago, and they were helped to survive by the very “armor” from which their name came - the shell covering the skin of these animals. Translated from Spanish, "armadillo" means "armor-bearer." ..

The history of incomplete edentates... Incomplete edentates separated from the general table of mammals a long time ago, 70-80 million years ago, that is, back in the Cretaceous period, shortly before the extinction of dinosaurs. Phylogenetically, they are apparently closest to pangolins, or lizards, the remains of which (eomanis) are known already from the middle of the Eocene era. Some of the first edentates already had enamel-free teeth and a bony shell... ..

The armadillo is one of the most ancient and unusual animals on the planet. In their homeland, representatives of this family are called amadillos or “pocket dinosaurs.” It is believed that the first armadillos appeared on Earth 55 million years ago. Unlike many other representatives of the fauna, these animals managed to survive for such a long time mainly due to the presence of a shell. The largest representative of this family is Priodontes maximus - a giant armadillo.

Habitat

In the wild, this species of armadillo lives only in South America. You can meet these unusual, spectacular “mini-dinosaurs” from Venezuela in the south to Paraguay in the north. The giant armadillo is an animal whose habitat is thus quite extensive. Amadillos live in this area mainly only in wooded areas. The territorial range of one animal is usually 1-3 sq. km. Such armadillos lead a solitary lifestyle.

Description of the animal

The appearance of giant armadillos is truly impressive. The body length of an adult can reach 75-100 cm. The weight of the animal often exceeds 30 kg. That is, in size, Priodontes maximus resembles a 4-6 month old piglet. In captivity, the weight of this type of armadillo can reach 60 kg.

The entire body - sides, tail, head, back - of this southern animal is covered with small horny scutes connected to each other by elastic tissue. Thanks to this, the Amadilla's armor is flexible. The color of the giant armadillo's shell is dark brown. In any case, the belly of Priodontes maximus is always lighter than the back.

The giant armadillo's snout is tube-shaped. The animal's teeth are directed backwards. The amadilla has large claws on its paws. The tongue of this armadillo, like most other members of the family, is long and sticky. The animal easily “picks up” even the most nimble insects with it.

Animal diet

Despite its terrifying appearance, the giant armadillo is not a dangerous predator. In the wild, it feeds mainly on termites, worms and various kinds of crawling and flying insects. The sharp long claws of Priodontes maximus are needed not for attack, but for destroying anthills and digging holes.

An interesting feature of the giant armadillo is that, despite its massiveness, this animal can easily stand on its hind legs. If necessary, thus, Priodontes maximus freely reaches the top of the largest termite mound.

How do they reproduce?

They meet with relatives of Priodontes maximus only when they want to have offspring. Sexual maturity in these animals occurs at the age of about one year. Pregnancy in female giant armadillos does not last too long - about 4 months. There are most often one or two cubs in a litter. Only the mother takes part in their upbringing. The female feeds the cubs with milk for about six months. Then the babies begin an independent life.

Economic value

In most areas of South America, amadilla is not liked and is considered a pest of fields. The habitat of the giant armadillo is vast, and it “intersects” with people quite rarely. However, sometimes these animals still raid crops. They, of course, do not eat plants, but they organize “pogroms”, tearing up the ground in search of insects. Also, amadillos, roaming the field, crush the plantings, sometimes causing significant damage.

The “pocket dinosaur” has no special economic value. Indians, for example, never eat armadillo meat (due to its pronounced musky taste). But some Europeans consider this product quite tasty and reminiscent of pork. Therefore, armadillos are not only exterminated by farmers, but also caught by lovers of delicacies. This animal is not an endangered species. However, today it is considered rare.

Extinct giant armadillos

Priodontes maximus is by far the largest representative of the family, as already mentioned. However, in prehistoric times, much larger armadillos, of course, also lived on Earth. For example, in the south of North America (10-11 thousand years ago), glyptodons and doedicurus lived relatively recently, outwardly very similar to modern Priodontes maximus, but having a much larger size. Archaeologists find their remains quite often. The body length of these monsters could reach 3-4 meters.